What Can Social Recruiting Do For You? Using Social Media for Recruiting

What Can Social Recruiting Do for You? Insider Observations into the Hottest Trend in HR and Talent Acquisition

Organizations today are constantly implementing new strategies to identify, attract, and secure the best and brightest candidates. As the digital age has evolved, social media channels (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and their sibling, social review sites (e.g., Google Company Pages, Glassdoor, and Yelp!) have given professionals unprecedented access to: 1) make a personal connection with top talent; 2) communicate their brand’s vision, mission, and culture.

I had the privilege of attending this month’s HR Alliance DC forum event in Tysons Corner, VA. The topic, “Social Recruiting: Create a Winning Social Media Strategy to Attract and Acquire Top Talent” featured Katie McNerney, founder of LeaderFit, an executive search, leadership development, and career coaching firm in Washington, DC.

Here are some key takeaways I gathered from the discussion about ways to harness Social Recruiting to help you maximize one of the hottest subjects in the HR and Talent Acquisition space:

Understand Your Brand and Never Deviate From It

By far the most important factor for companies to consider when developing their social media/social recruiting strategy is knowing their brand, and ensuring that all channels align with this goal.

Two excellent examples of companies that communicate their brands effectively on their social media profiles are Lockheed Martin Corporation and Google. As a global aerospace and defense firm, Lockheed Martin’s Twitter profile features images of an F-22 Raptor and various other military aircraft and vessels. Conversely, Google uses bright-colored illustrations to represent the innovation, creativity and employee-centric culture that they are famous for. At Sparks Group, we are in “the people business” and we strive to have our pages and content reflect this.

Understand Your Audience and Develop Relevant Content

Knowing who your audience is a critical step in developing your social media strategy. Is your company a Business to Business (B2B), a Business to Consumer (B2C), a Business to Government (B2G), or some combination of these? Does your brand create an emotional connection with an audience (think: Disney or Apple) or does your brand convey professionalism and strength (think: law firms and defense contractors)? No matter the answers for each, you will want to ensure that your content is catered for this audience. Staffing and recruiting firms must deliver relevant content to our two core audiences of both job seekers and corporate professionals such as HR Managers, Talent Acquisition professionals, and hiring managers.

At Sparks Group, in addition to posting jobs that we are recruiting for, we regularly post pictures of our staff at team building activities, philanthropic events, recognition ceremonies for our outstanding contract employees, and more. Additionally, we post regular thought leadership pieces on popular HR and Talent Acquisition subjects such as Performance Management, Talent Acquisition, Job Interviews, and more!

Understand the Audiences for Each Social Media Site/Channel

After understanding your target audience, then you can begin to identify the social media site(s) and content that will be relevant for them. Each site’s content and user demographics are quite different and constantly evolving; the following are the profiles for each, according to MarketingCharts,

Facebook: A great place to use images that show your culture; Used by 79% of online adults in the US, including 88% of those 18-29 years old.

LinkedIn: Great place for thought leadership and other pieces that feature larger amounts of text; Used by 29% of online adults; Year-over-year more popular with men (31%) than women 27%)

Twitter: a great place to use images that show your culture; Used by 24% of online adults, nearly equal adoption rates between men and women; 23% of active users are 30-49 years old and 21% are 50-60 years old.

Seem like a lot to remember? Have no fear, and be on the lookout for my next post that takes a step-by-step approach to developing and implementing a Social Media Strategy for your organization that harnesses the latest innovations in Social Recruiting for maximum impact! Top Tips for Creating a Social Media Strategy That Wins